There is new smoke detector technology out that will detect smoke faster and save more lives.

"We have the impression that if you have a smoke alarm in your house that you are protected ... and it's been demonstrated that this is clearly not the case," Mayfield Heights Fire Chief Bruce Elliott said. He gave a presentation on the smoke detector technology at a meeting of City Council's Safety and Transportation Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

The new type of detector out is called a photoelectric detector. The detector contains a light beam that will trigger the alarm when the beam is interrupted by smoke, most effective for a smoldering smoky fire.

The older style of smoke detector is called an ionization detector. This detector has a small amount of radioactivity inside the device that conducts electricity, most effective for a fast flaming fire.

"Ionization detectors is what 90 percent of the homes have," Elliot said.

Both types of detectors are acceptable for home use, but photoelectric are preferred by the fire department because they respond better to smoky fires that are caused when synthetic materials melt and burn, Elliot said. Synthetic materials are commonly found on household items such as couches, curtains and even carpeting.

This presentation from the Fire Department to the Safety and Building Committee hopes to encourage council to propose and pass new legislation to require one photoelectric alarm on each floor of the home at point-of-sale inspections and residential rental inspections. Other surrounding communities, such as Lyndhust and Mayfield Village, have similar legislation.

Smoke detectors will indicate which type it is by either an "I" for ionization or "P" for photoelectric on the front cover or the back. The packaging will say what type of detector it is as well.

In the past, the fire department has been telling residents to have smoke detectors in their house, but now it matters what type of smoke detector is installed in the home because it may determine if residents have enough time to safely escape.

"We are getting the word out that smoke alarms are important, but a lot of times they aren't working," Elliott said.

Research on the different types of smoke detectors has been done because of deaths of people who had working smoke detectors in their home, but were never notified or were notified of the fire too late.

"The results have shown ... that ionization detectors will sound tens of seconds faster than a photoelectric detector in a fast flaming fire ... (while) a photoelectric alarm will sound tens of minutes faster in a smoldering fire (than an ionization detector)," Elliott said.

Studies also have shown that ionization detectors are more prone to false alarms because of smoke from cooking or steam from a shower.

"Many people pull the battery when there is a false smoke detector alarm, and may not be replacing the battery after they are done cooking or taking a shower," Elliott said. "The photoelectric detectors are less likely to have a false alarm."

The first battery smoke detector was invented in 1965, and available to the public in the 1970s. As of 2004, 96 percent of homes have a smoke detector, but 20 percent are not working in the home. Of those nonworking smoke detectors, 53 percent of those had no battery in the detector.

"It's our job as city leaders to educate our residents of the new technology out there," Elliott said. "We aren't saying that (ionization detectors) are bad and to get rid of them, but ...we have the duty to educate them about the different (alarms) and recommend that they replace the ionization detector with photoelectric detectors or add a photoelectric detector along with an ionization detector."

The fire department encourages residents to maintain smoke detectors every year by replacing the battery and after 10 years, replace the whole unit with upgraded technology.

The price of photoelectric and ionization detectors are very similar. Dual sensors with both ionization and photoelectric technology are available in one unit, but are more difficult to find and can cost much more than a single sensor smoke detector.

Currently under the Residential Code of Ohio, homes are required to have one detector on each floor of the home, including the basement as well as a smoke detector in each bedroom.